On Saturday, the group will stage an encore performance at
Bethel High School
at 6:30 p.m.

The two-act, five-scene play is performed by "shoes," or performers playing shoes.

"It deals with current-day issues with teenagers and their parents and even community leaders," Strong said. "One is a high heel shoe - a very proud and arrogant, character. And there's a loafer shoe. A loafer is someone who is idle and not motivated - and he ends up in the wrong place."

The cast of 15 shoes and 14 other characters is played by a handful of New Hope parishioners and performers from four other Danbury churches.

Although the actors don't dress up like shoes, each is costumed accordingly.

"The high-heeled shoe will dress high-heelish, very flamboyant," Strong said. "And each song has a powerful message geared to the shoe who's singing."

The play was written in 1996, but has undergone many changes since being performed in October. "I think people like that it has so much passion in it and it's humorous - and at the same time it's so emotional. They can laugh, they can cry," said Strong. "There are a lot of lessons to be learned from each shoe. The lessons culminate in the very last act."

Strong said people are surprised at the caliber of the performance - "but it's like Broadway," Strong said. "That's why we're doing an encore, so many people wanted to see it again."

Two performances at Danbury High School drew more than 800 people.

The music is performed by a three-member band directed by the church's director of music,
Jonathan Hill
, and includes keyboards, drum and percussion.

Danbury resident
Larry Moore
designed the scenery. "He worked around the clock," Strong said.

"I'm not a minister, I'm a retired IBMer," Rice said. "It mixes a lot of humor with real-life anecdotal scenes and when you're not laughing, you're probably crying. The songs were perfectly picked and the people who are singing the leads have beautiful voices."

Rice said some scenes "blow everyone away. Good people make mistakes. People get misguided, and at the end the idea is to get yourself on the right page and do things the right way. We do a lot of praising the Lord all night."

"If you don't have a tear in your eye when it's over, something's wrong with you," Rice said. "You need to have your heart examined."



Now Playing:

"All God's Children Got Shoes" takes the stage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Bethel High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.